The present invention relates to rackets and in particular to tennis rackets having a greater overall length and an elongated handle and grip to permit the gripping of the racket in a two-handed grip when hitting either a forehand or a backhand shot without the necessity of the player having to shift the position of both hands on the racket when changing from a forehand to a backhand shot.
As the popularity of the game of tennis continues it is becoming more and more apparent that the physical capacities and limitations of various types of players dictate that conventional rackets and conventional strokes are not necessarily suitable for all players. As an example, it has now become acceptable and quite common to see players execute the backhand stroke using a two handed grip. Typically the reason for resorting to a two handed grip on the backhand is because the player needs the added strength and stability of a second hand to make an acceptable shot. The lack of strength may be due to the age (very young or elderly), sex or physical incapacity (e.g. tennis elbow) of the player. Sometimes even world class players use the two handed backhand simply because they can generate more power on the shot with two hands.
Conventional rackets however are not really suitable for hitting two-handed shots. In most cases, if a player grips a racket with two hands it is likely that his upper hand will overlap the top of the grip on the racket and fall on the shaft portion connecting the grip to the head of the racket. This makes for an uneven grip and a loss of some measure of control of the racket. In some cases because of this problem, rackets have been made in which the grip is extended up the shaft a small distance, usually 1 or at the most 2 inches. However, no other physical change of the racket is made and under normal circumstances the racket is still the conventional 27 inches in length.
However, even this racket is not satisfactory for hitting two-handed on both the forehand and the backhand side. To use such a racket in a two-handed grip for hitting a forehand shot would require changing the location and placement of both hands on the grip as the player moved between a forehand and a backhand shot, unless the player is willing to hit one of the shots cross-handed. Moving the hands on the grip is not a satisfactory alternative because of the problem of losing control of the racket particularly when the player is on the move.
Even more of a problem is the fact that a player can not normally know whether he will be hitting a forehand or backhand shot until the ball leaves his opponent's racket. Thus, he cannot make a grip selection if he is to hit a two handed shot until that time. However to make such a change of placement of the hands on the racket the player has to look at his racket rather than keeping his eye on the ball to prepare for the next shot. The timing of the game of tennis such that it is essentially impossible to take your eye off the ball after it has been hit by your opponent and still hope to hit a satisfactory return yourself.